rmcguirk

We fished four days, from February 16 through February 19. We fished with Lake Baccarac Lodge not Pro Bass Adventures. As noted, the first three day were bad. The fourth day was much better, with double the number of fish caught, and the fish just seemed to be more active. I believe it was the start of an upwards trend in the fishing, as I've seen reports that the last two weeks the fishing has been much, much better.

I know, pretty dramatic. But I had told him no more wacky rig a few times and he just ignored me. So, I had to show him.

AJ, you did not miss a trip report. I debated whether to do one for reasons that will be clear pretty quickly. But the following is an overview of my trip. First, the TLDR version: the fishing was super, super slow. I understand from people who overlapped from the prior week that it was slow the prior week as well. That is strange as we had very stable, hot weather both the prior week and the week I was there. I caught 9 on Monday, 10 on Tuesday, 11 on Wednesday and 22 on Thursday. Biggest was only 6.76 lb. The next largest was 5.95 lb. Everything else was smaller, and most were under 2 lbs. In my group of three, my buddy did slightly better numbers wise and also caught one 8.04. He also had a couple of 7s and some 5s and 6s. But still very, very slow. Our third member, his adult son and a very good fisherman, didn’t get anything over 5.5 and also didn’t get any numbers. From talk around the camp, we were in line with others numbers wise. There were scattered bigger fish caught, including one 11 lb stud. But there appeared to be little rhyme or reason to it. One person (a self-professed casual angler) reported catching only four fish all day but two of them were 9 lbs. She threw nothing but a weighted wacky all trip. Frankly my takeaway for the time we were there is that if you hit the right fish on the head with your bait, it might bite. But fish were not really chasing. More details if you’re interested: Travel: If you can, it really would be better to fly directly into the small airport at the lake. There are two other primary options. First, you can fly into Los Mochis and then drive the 2:45 to the lake. Second, you can fly into Mazatlán and drive the 5:30 to the lake. They’ll pick you up at either airport. The cost of the drive is included from Los Mochis but they charge per van for the drive from Mazatlán. We flew into Los Mochis. That required an extra flight and transferring at Mexico City. If I ever do this again (doubtful), I’d either fly directly to the lake or fly to Mazatlan and drive the extra two-plus hours. Having to take that extra flight with all the risks that entails and humping your bags around Mexico City airport is no fun. And, given the long layover you have to build in to transit customs and switch terminals, you really don’t save any time. Fortunately, all of our flights were on time and all of our luggage arrived and returned with us no problems. And, as a side note, we left on Friday and the troubles in Mexico started Saturday. Thoughts and prayers for anyone in the danger zone, but it did not impact us. The Lodge: The accommodations are really nice. The rooms are comfortable, relatively modern, and clean. The WiFi works flawlessly. The staff is super friendly and helpful, the margaritas are plentiful and delicious, and the beer/soda/water was always available and cold. The food was also very good. In short, the lodge is just about a perfect get away for fishing. The Guides and the Fishing: First, as noted, we had a three-person group. When we do these trips, we rotate who is fishing by themselves. So, we had two guides. One was much, much better than the other. For other Mexico trips (my only other experience is multiple times at Picachos and El Salto with Ron Speed), you typically get a new guide every day, unless you reserve someone (which they kinda discourage). Here, you get the same guide for the entire time. That is fine if you get someone good and/or someone who meshes with the style of fishing that you like. If you don’t… And, until you’ve gone a few times and worked your way through guides, or have someone who knows better, you’re stuck with luck of the draw. As I mentioned, one of the two guides we had was clearly better than the other. The first guide loved the weighted wacky rig with a six- or seven-inch senko. While fishing a weighted wacky is fine by me—and I do it plenty at home—it’s not really what I travel to Mexico to do. I’ll do it if it is working—and especially if I’m catching big fish, but if I’m just really engaged in casting practice with it, I get bored. At every stop, it was the only thing he suggested and that was notwithstanding the fact that all of the fish I caught on it with him (a total of 3) were under 1.5 lbs. That also was so, even though most of the fish I caught that day were on presentations other than that and ones that I decided on without his input—including a few on an A-rig, a couple on a Berkley chop block, and one on top water. About mid-afternoon, I held up the weighted wacky rig to show him, pulled out my scissors, and cut it off. That was the end of that. I didn’t fish with him again, but my buddy and his son had similar experiences and results. While the other guide was also a big fan of the weighted wacky rig, he also pushed a t-rig (again six- or seven-inch senkos). But at least the second guide would start to hunt around and try to figure out what else might work. So, with him, I tried a ton of different presentations, and he really seemed to care about finding something that would work. Given how few fish I caught, this information may be worthless, but I’d say that I caught the largest number of fish on an A-rig, including one double, which is always fun. I caught a couple on a jig, several on a t-rig (including my largest), a couple on top water, including a decent one on a weightless fluke, several on the weighted wacky, and a couple on the Berkley chop block and one on a wobble head. Somewhat surprisingly, even though I caught most of my fish on an A-rig, I got no bites on a paddle tail swimbait, whether that was a bare swimbait on a jig head, an underspin or a Bacca Burrito. It is one of my favorite presentations, so that was disappointing. I also didn’t get any bites on any sort of crankbait, and I tried a number of different types/depths. I also got nothing on lipless crank or bladed jig. Unlike El Salto and Picachos, our two guides never pushed a lizard, which is an absolute staple at those other lakes. Our first trip to Mexico, we threw lizards most of the day. Also different is that the guides at Baccarac didn’t seem to think that scent/dye was all that important. At El Salto and Picachos, the guides don’t want you to forget that. My takeaway: I’ve struggled with how to evaluate this trip. All in, I don’t think I’ll be going back to Lake Baccarac—or at least not in mid-winter. The fishing was simply not good, either numbers wise or size. No one in our group caught a PB or really a trophy. (My buddy lives in central Florida, so an 8lb fish is a great fish but not a true trophy.) Coming from upstate New York, that is a trophy for me, and not far off my Mexico best. My 6.76 lb fish was a great fish, but nowhere near my Mexico PB, or even in the top 10. And there appears to have been no objective reason for the slow fishing. The conditions were perfect and had been for some time. The fish were just not active. If you dropped your bait on their head, maybe they’d bite. Believe me, I get it. I’ve had my fair share of tough days on the water, where you feel like nothing is working and you’ve got little hope. But I usually don’t spend thousands of dollars and travel thousands of miles to a legendary bass lake for that experience. So, how would I have felt about this trip if I had caught a new PB? Or, better yet, how would I feel if I had caught a DD? My guess is that if I had caught a PB, I obviously would be happier—but still not really pleased with the fishing on the trip. If I had caught a DD, I could check that off my list but catching only one such fish and having the slow fishing we had, I still don’t think I’d go back. We’ve already agreed that we’re going back to El Salto (assuming it is open) and Picachos next year. If you have any questions, happy to respond either here or in DMs.

On the way down, we have a 3.5-hour layover in Mexico City, so that should be enough to catch the flight to Los Mochis. On the way back, our connection in Mexico City is much tighter, but I'm hoping that, since we don't have to go through customs it is doable.

Flying into Los Mochis (from Buffalo to Orlando, to connect with buddy, to Miami, to Mexico City to Los Mochis. Fingers crossed that all goes smoothly. If we love this place, we're going to have to figure out a better way. And if I catch some big bass, I'll provide reports!

Jumping out of my skin here. I'm leaving this weekend for fishing starting Monday. It sure is a crazy trip to get there--much harder than El Salto/Piccachos--but I'm hoping that it is worth it!

Really enjoyed your video. I'm going in February, and your packing is mirroring my own, though I expect that there will be more of a crankbait bite at that time of year (at least that's what I'm planning on). One thing that did jump out at me were your reels. I've never tried to go through security with line on my reels, but I have read that it can be an issue, so you should consider it--and I'm sure that others will chime in on that point. As to how much cash to bring, ask the outfitter what tips are appropriate. Usually, the outfitter provides an informational sheet that has all sorts of miscellaneous info, and it typically includes a section on recommended tips. But, generally speaking, you're going to want to obviously tip your guides, the camp manager usually gets a tip, and it is common to tip staff as well--especialy if they keep your margarita full . Given the variety of people you might want to tip and the varying levels at which you might want to tip them, I would bring some more manageable bills (remember, no one is likely to be able to make change). As to dollars vs. pesos, I've only been to Piccachos and El Salto with Ron Speed, and everything, I mean everything, was dollars. I'll be surprised if Baccarac is any different. For any incidental expenses while traveling, I just use a credit card.

So, I'm going in mid-February. Just starting the purchasing cycle. I've been to El Salto and Piccachos a few times, so I know the general drill for fishing in Mexico but really interested in recommendations for "must have" baits for Baccarac. I'm typically a braid-to-leader guy. At home, that means 40lb braid to either a 12 or 15lb leader. In Mexico, I have usually jumped that up to a 17lb leader. What I'm seeing here suggests that Baccarac really requires a 20 or 25lb leader. Agree? So, thanks to all for keeping this thread going and any further suggestions you have.

I've been there a few times and I'm going back in January. You're going to have a great time and catch more 2-4 lb bass than you can imagine--and they're going to hit and fight like 3-6 lb fish. If you have any questions about gear, etc., shoot me a message and I'll be happy to share.

Wow! I've got a bunch of deep divers, but it sounds like I need to get more...

Thanks for the tips! I've been reading reports and it sounds like many fish and the bigger ones are being taken deeper. Last year, I went through about as many senkos/dingers as did you. I've got them again if I need them (along with piles of watermelon/red lizards), but I'd much rather catch them on moving baits if the bass are willing.

I'm going in less than a month through Ron Speed and I can't wait. Deja vu, but I'll ask you again (as I did last year). I'm spending a few days at Picachos and a couple at El Salto. I know everything will change by then, but what was the hot bait? What shouldn't I miss? Thanks.

I'll echo what's been said already. I've got a 7'2" MH Expride A and it is a great all-around rod. I use it primarily for bottom-contact baits and it is very sensitive. That TW deal is awesome and, if I were in the market, I'd definitely be a buyer.

I don't often lose skirts--I just lose whole baits to pike.

Super, thanks again. I'm a big fan of swim baits and i've got a bunch of 3/4 oz heads ready to go.

Great video and trip report. I’m going to Picachos thru Ron Speed with a buddy in early March. It’ll be our third trip there together. Our numbers were the same as yours, but we didn’t get any over 4 on either trip. Did you get your bigger fish on any particular presentation or style or was it more of just the bigger ones mixed in? Second question if you’re willing: I’ve stocked up on plenty of senkos, lizards, creature baits and swim baits on the soft plastics side, and top water baits, deep diving cranks, rattle traps and jigs on the hard bait side. What two or three baits, or categories of baits would you recommend getting a few extra of to make sure I don’t run out? Thanks!

Buff and gloves for me along with long sleeve SPF 50 shirt. Plus SPF100 on my face, neck and ears. I had skin cancer on one of my ears, and I’d like to avoid it again if I can.

Yes, only one public boat launch. Was out this past Sunday and when I left surface temperature was 80. We had a fair bit of rain the other day, but I doubt that the temperature will be below 78 come tomorrow morning. Just another couple of thoughts on conditions. First, by 10:00 a.m. there will be a ton of pleasure boat traffic on the lake. In normal years, it is usually a bit later. But, it seems like everyone is sticking closer to home under the circumstances and getting out on the water earlier than usual. With the expected heat tomorrow, I'd expect that to be the case again. Second, the weed edge this year is a bit weird, at least right now. Usually, it ends out at 12-14 feet. This year, its really more like in 8-10 foot range. I don't know what the cause is, but I'm chalking it up to a colder than normal spring. Regarding chasing them generally, advice above still holds: fish the docks when the sun is up or the deeper weed edge. If you're there early tomorrow, I'm betting (hoping?) that there will be a decent top water bite. Good luck. I'll probably see you out there tomorrow.

I kinda like buying and using new gear. I also like trying new techniques. Don't we all? I really don't want to stick to one thing, even if it would catch me the most fish. So, if a swimbait is catching a few fish, perhaps a swim jig would catch more, or bigger. I like to experiment. But, that doesn't mean I don't use what I think will work based on the time of year and the conditions; I just like to try variations on the theme. To answer the question, though, once we have ice out around here, I'll probably have the following on the boat for the first several weekends: 1 MHF BC with a lipless, 1 MF BC with a jerkbait, 1 MHF BC with a larger swimbait, 1 MHF BC with a jig, 1 MHF BC with a t-rig, 1 MF spinning with a smaller jerkbait, 1 MF spinning with a smaller swimbait, 1 MF spinning with a wacky senko, and 1 MLF spinning with a ned rig. So, I guess that's 9 rigs. As the season progresses, baits will come and go from the planned rotation, and I'll add new rods as needed for when the grass comes in heavy. And some days, particularly if the fishing has been tough, I'll only bring out a couple of confidence baits and throw them all day. OK, I can't wait for my season to start!

I try and try with a chatterbait, but I never catch many. I catch a lot on swim jigs. I can’t say why.

I got out both days this weekend on Conesus. Man, fishing was tough, at least for me. I saw some bass cruising the shallows and a few that seemed as though they were tight to beds, but probably the tail-end of the spawn. Also saw a lot of bullhead and carp there as well. But I didn't catch a single fish either day. I'm not great at bed fishing--hunching on a spot and trying to get a bass to commit--so this time of year I typically do poorly. But, I don't think I've gotten a two-day skunking in a long, long time.

Got out on Conesus both days this weekend. Saturday for about 5 hours -- 9:30-2:30. Fishing was slow for me. I only caught four, but three of them were very good, including a 4.1 LM, a 4.5 SM and a 5.7 LM kicker. So close to my PB. Sunday with the weather being sketchy, I got a late start and only got out for about 3 hours from 12:30-3:30. It was actually pretty nice on the water (if you were dressed for it), and I should have gone earlier. Fishing was very, very slow for me. I caught two cookie cutter 1.5 LMs. I also caught an enormous pike. I don't know how long or how heavy as I try to get them out of the boat and back into the water as quickly as possible. I got him on a medium action rod and could barely land him. Turns out, it had slapped at the lure and it was hooked in the side of the face.

Got out both weekend days on Conesus. Saturday for about 3.5-4 hours before it started misting too badly. Windy and not particularly productive. One two-pound LM and one walleye. It was a sizable fish (probably about 23-24 inches) and hit my red craw colored rattle bait pretty hard, but he just didn't have much fight in him. I only catch one or two walleye a year, but that's been my general experience with them--that they don't pull particularly hard. Given my inexperience, is that a wrong impression? Sunday was better, but a little weird. Got out from 10-3. Ended up with 5 bass that went for about 18, with the three best being a 4.3 LM, a 3.9 LM, a 3.8 SM. So, good size average fish (for me), but no numbers.

Got out on Honeyoe for about 2 hours around lunchtime on my kayak. Had three in the first six casts. I didn't get another one for about 30 minutes, but ended up with seven. All on bottom presentations in 6-10 feet of water--six on a wobble head with a rage bug and one on a finesse jig. Nothing else even got a sniff. All of them between 1.5 and 2.5.

I can't tell you about Picachos in May, but I did go to both El Salto and Picachos in late January this year. We went through Ron Speed Adventures. We had a great time. Size at El Salto was bigger on average but we caught way, way more fish on Picachos. It was also a "nicer" lake, if that makes any sense, and there were far less tilapia nets getting in the way. The run-of-the-mill bass we caught on both was in the 1.5-2.5 range. As you may recall, though, they all fight like smallmouth, which is nice. We caught bigger fish on El Salto--numerous 3+, a few 4+ and one 6+, though no real giants. The biggest fish we got on Picachos was probably 3.5. Let's just put it this way: we never once thought "hey, we should weigh that one" on Picachos. But, the sheer number of bites on Picachos was mind boggling. Our second day there, we caught 131 fish. To me, that's a good month...